Capt Charles Fetherston-Dilke died on April 2 aged 85 after a short illness.

He was known in the county for his work as a public servant and for restoring the fortified manor house Maxstoke Castle, for which he gave up a successful career in the navy.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We'd like to hear your views on this story. You can send us your comments by simply clicking on this email. Please give a reason if you do not wish your email address to be published.
This is what I think

SEND US YOUR STORIES
If you have a story for our newsdesk, please click on the following link:
Click here to email your report

His son-in-law Tony Griffiths said: "He was a real gentleman.
"He was one of those quiet people whom one respects no matter who you are, whether you are a fellow officer or one of the estate managers."

Capt Fetherston-Dilke was born in the castle in 1921, and joined the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1935. During the Second World War he was an officer on ships escorting convoys across the Atlantic.

When his father, a former mayor of Leamington, died in 1968, Capt Fetherston-Dilke took on the management of the estate, which the family had owned since 1599.

Determined to live in the castle, which had been used to store engine components during the war, he refurbished the building and renovated the gardens, later opening the building to the public.

An accomplished archer, he was a founder member of the Woodmen of Arden, a longbow society based in Meriden.

He also took on public duties, becoming a magistrate in 1970 and chairman of the county council in 1978. He was Vice Lieutenant to Lord Daventry until 2000. He leaves a wife, Pauline, who he married in 1943, and two children.